Qatar 2022 Ramps Up World Cup Preparations with Key Appointment

(WFI) Qatar 2022 organisers have awarded the program management contract to deliver World Cup stadia to CH2M Hill, the US-based design and construction firm which served as a delivery partner for the London 2012 Olympics.

The company, which boasts experience of working on five other Olympics and one Commonwealth Games, beat off competition from five other bids including Arup, Turner International and Mace.

The Gulf state is spending around $4 billion on building 12 stadia for the 2022 FIFA showpiece. Nine are being built from scratch with three existing venues to be renovated and expanded.

Billions of dollars are also being invested in major transport infrastructure works such as the New Doha International Airport and the proposed nationwide metro network.

Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee secretary general Hassan Al Thawadi said the tender process for the contract began soon after the desert nation's successful World Cup bid victory in December 2010.

"While the proposals we received from those companies that made the shortlist were impressive, it was important to us that the appointed company met the set criteria we had in mind, in addition to complimenting and understanding the vision of our committee. We believe that CH2M Hill is the ideal partner," he said.

Al Thawadi added: "Our work with CH2M Hill in planning and delivering a successful World Cup will require cooperation with and assistance from local stakeholders and partners, from both public and private sectors.

"The road ahead will be challenging. Today's appointment is a key initial milestone on our journey."

CH2M Hill's first task is to set a delivery timetable for the raft of venue and infrastructure projects needed for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

With Qatar's summer temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius, the development and integration of cooling technologies to air-condition training facilities and host stadia to the satisfaction of FIFA are among the biggest challenges for the program management team and tournament organisers.

Qatar 2022's technical director Yasir Al Jamal said: "Over the next six months we will be working together to develop our road map, which will provide us with delivery timelines for the projects that will occupy us in the coming ten years."

The US company will continue working in the oil-rich nation for two years after the tournament to ensure implementation of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee's legacy commitments.

CH2M Hill has 30,000 employees working in more than 300 offices globally, including a footprint of 2,000 staff in the Middle East, of which 200 are based in Qatar.

Lee McIntire, CH2M Hill's chairman and CEO, said his company was looking forward to helping deliver a landmark 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. "

"Our team brings a proven track record that will assist the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee in delivering world-class facilities in a sustainable manner,” he said.

Qatar 2022 chiefs hope to complete construction of the first World Cup stadium by 2015.

The next milestone for Qatar's preparations is the announcement of a new logo, corporate identity and website.


By INSIDER editor Mark Bisson

Your best source of news about the global football business is World Football INSIDER


Get Free WFI news bulletins Click Here

(Copyright 1992 - 2013, all rights reserved. The information in this report may not be published, excerpted, or otherwise distributed in print or broadcast without the express prior consent of World Football Insider and Around the Rings, Inc.)